WASHINGTON (AP) — A Kentucky woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that she intentionally damaged The World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Melissa Farris is scheduled to be arraigned next week on two felony counts. Grand jurors indicted her Thursday on charges of destroying the veterans' memorial and destroying government property.
An attorney for Farris didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Friday.
Farris, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, is suspected of spray painting the words “Clean hands dirty $” on the monument and filling a fountain with bubbles on Aug. 13. She was ordered released after her initial court appearance on Aug. 17.
President Donald Trump posted about the damage to the memorial on social media with a reference to his repeated claims — without providing evidence — that vandals had been damaging the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals,” Trump wrote his Truth Social site. “First the Reflecting Pool, now this.”
A former Olympian was charged in late July with deliberately damaging the Reflecting Pool, but the Justice Department later moved to dismiss that case, saying evidence prosecutors had received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame.
The World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are seen from the Washington Monument, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
NEW YORK (AP) — Dolly Parton was many things: A country star, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, theme park enthusiast, Christian who centered acceptance in her personal theology and so much more. But for many, her death Tuesday has served as a reminder that at the heart of her legacy is her role as a songwriter. And around the world, people are streaming her songs accordingly.
According to data released early Friday afternoon by the industry data and analytics company Luminate, audio and video streams of Parton's discography skyrocketed 2,458% on the day of her death, compared to Monday — climbing from 1.2 million to 30.5 million in the U.S. And by Wednesday, that number rose to 46.3 million.
Worldwide, her audio and video streams jumped 1,549%, from 2.5 million on Monday to 41.8 million Tuesday.
And on Wednesday, her on-demand audio streams jumped to 79.7 million, making her the most streamed artist, globally, on that date.
In the U.S., 10 songs led the charge:
1. “Jolene” grew from over 196.2K streams on Monday to 2.7 million Tuesday and 4 million Wednesday.
2. “9 to 5” jumped from 208.6K on Monday to 2.3 million on Tuesday and 3.6 million on Wednesday.
3. “Islands in the Stream,” her duet with the late Kenny Rogers, climbed from 165.9K on Monday to 1.8 million Tuesday and 2.9 million Wednesday.
4. “I Will Always Love You,” Parton's performance of her own classic, a song that was later made famous by Whitney Houston's rendition, rose from 64.9K streams on Monday to 1.7 million Tuesday and 2.8 million Wednesday.
5. “Here You Come Again” followed, moving from 48.7K streams Monday to 1.3 million Tuesday to 2.1 million Wednesday.
6. Then there was “Coat of Many Colors,” with 28.9K streams Monday to 1.2 million Tuesday and 1.9 million Wednesday.
7. “There Was Jesus,” her 2019 duet with Christian singer Zach Williams, rose from 85.2K streams Monday to 503.1K Tuesday and 1.3 million Wednesday.
8. “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That?” climbed from 22.1K Monday to 733.8K Tuesday and 1.1 million Wednesday.
9. “Tyrant,” Parton's collaboration with Beyoncé from Bey's Grammy winning 2024 album “Cowboy Carter,” jumped from 47.8K Monday to 534.7K Tuesday and 682K Wednesday.
10. And lastly, “My Tennessee Mountain Home” increased from 5.8K Monday to 501.7K Tuesday and 755.5K Wednesday.
Sales for such Parton-related books as the memoir “Dolly Parton, Songteller” My Life in Lyrics” and a picture story based on her classic song “Coat of Many Colors” were also soaring. As of early Friday afternoon, three Parton books were in the top 5 on Amazon.com ’s bestseller list.
Curious to hear more Parton? Check out The Associated Press' official playlist — from her country songs that challenge traditional gender dynamics to the greatest ballad ever committed to record — and read the stories behind them, here.
A portrait of the late Dolly Parton surrounded by flowers and cards in a memorial sits outside her home Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Brentwood, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
